I love Cornas. Have ever since I tried my first Clape back in the 1990s. Love the deep, dark, brooding, rustic qualities of this region. And then I was introduced to Juge. And now Cuchet. The latter two bring a certain elegance and lightness to this region - still some rusticity, but elegance (the elegance of county and simplicity) - that traditional Cornas did not show me back then. Not to say that these wines are not traditional, they are decidly not modern. They are just not Clape. Or Allemand.
I’ve had several vintages of Cuchet, and loved everyone one, but those have been rather youthful, vintages 2011-2013. This is my first Cuchet with some time in the bottle.
Expressive nose of brine, dried game, black olives and wild red fruits. Bracing acidity, citrus fruits, tart red fruits, slightly south of medium weight on the palate. A very bright, light, crisp wine. Savory, but could use more depth. Very refreshing and a joy to drink, paired great with grilled chicken.
(94 pts nose, 92 palate)
Awesome note (as was the Heitz).
Side note, my browser is currently littered with ads for Golden Retriever puppies. I’m more of a Lab guy, but aren’t you a Golden owner?
Heck yea, love my Goldens. Was just outside with both of them. Bowls of love, both 100 pts! I’d take Labs, too. We take these dogs everywhere. Headed to the beach in the Pandhandle in a few weeks, staying near a beach that allows dogs. Quite cool.
Thanks for the note Robert. I recently had a couple sent to HI for consumption. Any take on future development? Or drink now? What about the 2008?
Sounds like our bottle a few weeks back, which was also my first Cuchet with some age. Agree with the nose > palate description. The nose really grabs your attention and is exactly what I look for with aged Cornas.
It does feels more like a nice compliment to a meal than a stunner you fall over- your point about lacking some depth and a joy with the chicken. I get that.
Still, a very good ride, and I’m happy to have a couple more. Looking forward to the '95 soon… ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers")
Nice to see you got around to this vintage. Robert Michel knows a thing or two about Cornas.